The hills are alive in the U.K.! After landing mega-ratings on NBC, The Sound of Music will cross the pond for another live TV broadcast. Sources have confirmed to Broadway.com that the rumors reported by The Sun that ITV will air a live presentation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic are true. British audiences can expect to see Maria sing/yodel her heart out on the small screen sometime next spring.
ITV is reportedly eyeing Buckinghamshire’s Pinewood Studios and Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire as possible shooting locations. The broadcast will potentially feature a live orchestra as well.
The Sound of Music debuted on Broadway in 1959, starring Mary Martin as Maria, a young woman who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the seven children of a naval officer widower. NBC’s live broadcast aired originally on December 5, 2013 and starred Grammy winner Carrie Underwood, who was joined by True Blood’s Stephen Moyer and Tony winners Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti and Christian Borle.
The tuner received its London premiere in 1961 and has been revived in the West End twice. The most recent production, which opened at the London Palladium in 2006, starred Connie Fisher as Maria. Fisher won the role on the reality competition show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?.
Now, who’s the British equivalent of Carrie Underwood?